A committee assembled to consider who should serve as Altadena Library’s next interim director will work behind closed doors, despite ongoing criticism about a lack of transparency at the embattled library district.

So the board is looking at a likely situation where it will have no one to lead the library. Board members voted Sept. 5 to form an ad hoc committee to discuss finding a new interim director.

“We have confirmed with our legal counsel that an ad hoc committee made up of less than a quorum (majority) of the board is not subject to the Brown Act … and is not required to be open to the public,” Roy wrote in an email to constituent Rene Amy.

“The members of the committee will therefore meet in private, and they are confident that in this way they will be able to discharge their duty in the quickest and most effective way possible.”

Roy and board Chairwoman Betsy Kahn did not respond to requests for comment.

The library district’s ad hoc committee is comprised of only two board members and was created for a specific, one-time purpose, factors that allow it to be exempt from the Brown Act, as written. And it’s not unusual for government entities to conduct some of their search for new hires out of public view.

But an exemption doesn’t mean a requirement, said Amy, who’s pushed for transparency at the library district.

The board is facing immense pressure to conduct its business in the public eye: Kittay in a lawsuit has accused the board of 94 Brown Act violations and in separate administrative filings claimed retaliation, gender discrimination and harassment.

It’s unclear exactly what role the ad hoc committee will serve and whether there will be any opportunity for the public to provide input on who should serve as interim director. It’s equally unclear why the board is looking for an interim, rather than permanent director and how long the next interim director would serve.

Chris Lindahl covers Pasadena, El Monte and Pico Rivera for the Southern California News Group. He previously wrote for the Cape Cod Times and Daily Hampshire Gazette in his home state of Massachusetts, where his coverage included higher education, marijuana policy and LGBTQ issues. He's reveling in the novelty of being able to hit the ski slopes and the beach in the same day, however impractical that might be.